Amy looked at the Marquis and his wife as if they were fools, oblivious to their frantic attempts to impress Noah by rubbing their hands together.
“Your Excellency knows, operating an estate requires a lot of money. However, few places are well endowed with such resources. So…”
Just as the Marquis began to speak with a harmless smile, Amy interrupted him.
“Indeed. The misery of an estate without money is indescribably wretched.”
“Yes? Oh, yes…”
Caught off guard by Amy’s sudden interjection, the Marquis stared at her in astonishment. Regardless, Amy continued.
“As you might be aware, Your Excellency, our Sovereign now also has to manage an estate. It’s no trivial matter.”
Whether they considered Amy crazy or not, her words were welcomed by the Marquis and his wife, who brightened up.
“Well, that’s true. So, regarding that…”
But once again, Amy cut off the Marquis’s words.
“Look, Your Excellency. Isn’t the loyalty of the Marquis and his wife tear-jerking?”
As Amy pretended to dab her eyes with her sleeve, the Marquis and his wife were left puzzled. They couldn’t understand why non-existent loyalty would be tear-jerking.
Noah readily agreed.
“That’s true.”
“We’ve prepared this place, knowing you’re heading north after being chased away. Being snubbed everywhere we went, it was truly heart-wrenching. You have a remarkably noble heart.”
“…”
The color drained from the faces of the Marquis and his wife. Being snubbed everywhere? They reconsidered why the Duke’s entourage hadn’t received hospitality from other estates and continued their journey in silence.
‘For example, being in a position of being chased away for displeasing the Emperor, or being penniless…’
Wait, wasn’t this like attaching more trouble while trying to get rid of it?
Just when their hearts chilled, Amy drove the point home.
“Since we can’t ignore such dedication, how about borrowing a loan from them for the barren north? This estate is struggling, so not too much, maybe a million gold? With such devotion, they would surely lend willingly. The interest and principal can be paid double after the north develops, right, Marquis?”
The Marquis and his wife’s mouths dropped open. The north developing? That’s something that’s not expected until the end of the Empire. As they were stunned, Noah casually intervened.
“Isn’t the Ladyship ignoring the Marquis’s dignity? In my opinion, ten million gold would be better.”
“T-Ten million gold!”
The faces of the Marquis and his wife turned dark in an instant.
Noah and Amy left the manor’s main hall and headed outside. Noah glanced back.
“Is it okay to leave like this?”
“Yes, well…”
Amy shrugged. They had just finished telling the panic-stricken Marquis and his wife that they would send someone for the formal contract once they reached the Duke’s domain.
‘They’ll probably live anxiously, not knowing when someone from the north might arrive.’
They had no real intention of borrowing the loan, but whether the Marquis and his wife lived in fear or not was of no concern to them.
As they left the manor, Noah suddenly stopped walking. Amy, who had been standing tall, looked around, wondering what was happening, and locked eyes with a boy who seemed to be Noah’s age. He was holding a wooden barrel filled with milk or goat’s milk and a jar of honey, gazing at Amy, Noah, and the mercenaries behind them. His eyes sparkled brightly, and his face was flushed with thought.
“…”
Noah, apparently unimpressed, quickly shifted his gaze from the boy and continued walking. Amy followed
Passing through the mansion’s gate and walking down the road into the village, they saw a large man standing in front of a humble farmhouse, peeking towards the manor. It was Vernon.
“Ah!”
Vernon quickly straightened up and blinked like a startled cow as he gazed at Noah. Amy strode up to him, stood in front of him with her chin lifted, and said,
“Offer a formal greeting to His Highness.”
“……!”
Caught up in looking at Noah, Vernon was startled by her words. He quickly placed a fist over his chest and bowed.
“Greetings to His Highness, the Second Prince. I am…”
He suddenly stopped speaking and hesitated. As Noah tilted his head, wondering why he was acting like this, Vernon stammered out,
“I am Vernon Kazel… former captain of the royal guard…”
“!”
Noah and the mercenaries widened their eyes in surprise. The mercenaries seemed to recognize him. Noah, who had only heard of him as a candidate for the captain of the guard, looked at Amy as if asking if she knew this. Amy nodded briefly and then said to Vernon,
“Captain Vernon, have you made up your mind then?”
“…….,”
He hesitated as if in doubt, and Amy smiled leisurely.
“It’s your freedom to go or not. Feel free to speak your mind.”
Confidence that he wouldn’t refuse was evident in her tone.
“Well, I am…”
He rubbed the back of his thick neck, looking troubled. Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from behind. Turning their heads, they saw three heads popping over a stone wall, rapidly approaching them.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
